Witch dunk punch

How do you know someone is a witch? Do they carry wear pointy shoes? Do they wear a pointy hat? Do they chant spells? Do they keep a caldron ready for everyday use? I wouldn't pass any of those tests. I confess I'm not a witch. One year, my sisters and I dressed up as witches. We walked around a caldron with mystical fog (dry ice). We chanted Macbeth. We even remembered the majority of Double, Double Toil and Trouble. My oldest daughter believed we were witches. If we had been on trial on that night for witchcraft, we would have been found guilty since we were that good in our role. 

Witch Dunk Brew
1 (12 oz.) can frozen concentrated orange pineapple juice
1 (12 oz.) can frozen concentrated pink lemonade
2 Liter Ginger Ale
3 Tbsp lemon juice
8 cups water
1/3 cup superfine sugar
apples, plums, carrots, candy

Directions:

1. In a large punch bowl, combine the juice, lemonade, ginger ale, lemon juice, and water.
2. Stir in the sugar.
3. Chop the fruit for garnish. Add the fruit with the carrots and candy.

(The witch is assembled by the body is an apple, the head is a plum, the hat is an apple, the shoes are Swedish fish, and the broom is a carrot. The pieces are held together by toothpicks.)
Recipe by Jen of Sweet Morris.

One year ago............................I made Fried Sausage Dumplings.
Two years ago..........................I made Pork chops with Garlic and Herbs.

Tasting the Witch's brew

Did you already know...............
-The Salem Witch Trials began with the two young girls.
-The trials began in January of 1692 and lasted until May of 1693. 
-In Salem, there is a memorial to remember the twenty condemned
colonist.

Two Tone Halloween Cookies

It was dark outside when I prepared the dough for these Halloween cookies. The kids were home so I asked them if my dough appeared orange or red. It was hard to gauge the color. They reassured me that my eyes were fine and the dough was orange. While the kids were at school, I made the cookies. I was happy for the most part with the results. When the kids arrived home, I told them they could have a cookie. My daughter ate her cookie without hesitation. She said they were a little plain tasting but good. (She has since said she really likes them since I keep catching her eating another one.) My son did not eat his cookie but was too busy trying to punch out the center part of the cookie. When I saw him, I told him it isn't going to just pop out like a puzzle. He told me that he figured that out.

Bats, pumpkins, and moon cookies

Two Tone Halloween Cookies
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 egg
3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp salt
food coloring

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the sugars and butter until fluffy.
2. Add the milk, vanilla, and egg. Mix until incorporated.
3. Add the flour and salt to the butter mixture. Mix until incorporated.
4. Divide the dough in thirds. Set one-third of the dough aside.
5. Add the other two thirds of the dough into two separate bowls.
6. Add a few drops of the desired food coloring to each bowl. Mix well. (I used black food coloring to one bowl. The other bowl I added yellow and red food coloring to make orange.)
7. Wrap each section of the dough separately in plastic wrap. Refrigerate over night.
8. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
9. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
10. Onto a well floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thickness.
11. Cut out 2 1/2 inch round circles. (I used a large plastic cup.)
12. Place the dough onto the baking sheet.
13. Using a small cookie cutter, cut out the center of the dough. 
14. Replace the center park of the dough with another color dough.
15. With the rolling pin, gently roll the dough slightly to help seal the two doughs.
16. Bake the cookies for 4 minutes. 
17. Rotate and bake the cookies for another 4 minutes or until set.
18. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Recipe adapted from Pillsbury Bars & Cookies Sept 1998 #211 issue.

One year ago .........................I made Chocolate Cookies.
Two years ago........................I made Sloppy Joes.

Did you already know............
-The only mammal that can fly is the bat.
-The smallest bat is the bumblebee bat and weighs less than a typical slice of bread.
-Vampire bats prick a wound in their prey and lap up the blood with their tongue.

Roasted Tomato and Pepper Soup

Have you ever roasted peppers? I use to buy them in the jar but it makes more financial sense to roast them at home. Now, I figured if I was going to take the time to roast the pepper then why wouldn't I do the same for the tomatoes. Also, I hate to make more dishes then are necessary and I don't have an immersion blender so I left the vegetables chunky in the soup. I think it made it more scary since there were weird looking things floating in it which you can see if you serve this soup in a transparent glass. The kids did think the soup was scary looking by the color but they really liked it.

Scary Soup aka Roasted Tomato and Pepper Soup
3 red bell peppers
16 plum tomatoes
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 cups chicken broth 
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper for taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the broiler on high.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Place the peppers and tomatoes onto the baking sheet.
4. Broil the peppers and tomatoes about 5 inches from the heat for about 8 minutes.
5. Remove the peppers and tomatoes from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes.
6. Once cooled, remove the skins from the peppers and tomatoes. Set aside.
7. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat for 1 minute.
8. Add the onion and stir often for 5 minutes.
9. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute.
10. Add the roasted peppers and tomatoes into the pot with the chicken broth. Cook for 10 minutes.
11. Using a potato masher, smash the peppers and tomatoes into chunks. 
12. Stir in the paprika and lemon into the soup. Cook for 5 minutes.
13. Season with salt and pepper to taste before serving. 

Recipe adapted from 2005 Sunset Magazine.

One year ago..........................I made Roasted Vegetable Panini.
Two years ago........................I made Black Forest Cherry Torte.

Did you already know............
-Tomatoes originate from South and Central America.
-Botanically, tomatoes are classified as fruit.
-In the late 1800s, the U.S. classified it as a vegetable so it would be taxed under the custom regulations.

Apple Crisp

Sometimes it is hard to come up with a spooky names for my dishes. So, I take suggestions from the kids. This dish was named by my son. I thought it was pretty clever. I would never have thought of it. Grave dirt? Would you like some ice cream with that grave dirt? My husband said it was the best apple crisp (grave dirt) he has ever had.

Grave Dirt aka Apple Crisp 
6 apples, peeled and sliced thinly
2 Tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup uncooked rolled oats
1/3 cup all purpose flour
4 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cubed

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Lightly coat 3 small ramekins with nonstick cooking spray.
3. In a large bowl, combine the apples, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
4. Spoon the apple mixture equally into the ramekins.
5. In the same bowl, combine the brown sugar, oats, and flour. 
6. Blend the butter into the brown sugar mixture until well incorporated.
7. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture evenly over the ramekins.
8. Bake the apple crisp for 30 minutes or until the apples are tender and the streusel is crispy. 
9. Allow the apple crisp to cool for 30 minutes before serving.

Recipe adapted from Chow.

One year ago............................I made Mace Crumb Muffins.
Two years ago..........................I made Cheesy Basil Stuffed Chicken.

Did you already know..............
-Embalming meant to put on balm.
-Perfume and spices were once an ordinary ritual to use on decaying bodies. 
-In the U.S, funeral services industry make $11 billion in revenue every year. 

Homemade Croutons

Since I know October seems to be the month of candy, I try to fight against it with additional vegetables. Salads are always an easy solution. Usually, I do not make my own croutons but I had purchased a baguette and we didn't eat it. It was pretty hard so I had to think of some ideas for the baguette. Some thoughts were using it to hit a pinata. Let the kids use it as a sword. Put it in the freezer which it would have been forgotten until years months later. I figured it would make great croutons which it did. I cut the bread into triangles so they looked like teeth.

Shark's Teeth aka Homemade Croutons
1 baguette, cut up into bite size pieces
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat broiler to high.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
3. In a bowl, toss the bread with the olive oil, oregano,cheese, and salt.
4. Spread the bread in one layer onto the baking sheet.
5. Toast the bread for about 5 minutes or until the bread is golden brown.
6. Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving.

Recipe by Jen of Sweet Morris.

One year ago.........................I made Brown Butter Funfetti Cookies.
Two years ago.......................I made Stomboli.

Did you already know............
-Croutons are small toasted pieces of bread.
-Croutons are similar to crostinis which are larger. 
-The word croutons derive from the French word croute which means crust.